Brilliant article - good reading

[drfuzzy]

Debunking Christianity by John W. Loftus.  Brilliant. 

{snip}        Sorry, I posted a link when I joined and later learned that I'm too much of a newbie!   
It's in his 2014 07 archives.
"im-calling-for-end-to-philosophy-of"

He's calling for Colleges and Universities to stop offering degrees in Philosophy of Religion, because in most cases, these courses turn into 
Xtian "Theology" . . . which is basically people writing papers and getting degrees for making up stories about what they think they know.
How can you study something that doesn't exist?

I remember working at a summer college program, and one of the Theology students was completing his Master's.  I was assigned to help with his thesis.
He came in with 5 pages about a transcendent prayer experience. It was 5 pages of absolutely hideously-written incomprehensible drivel.  When I 
asked for his bibliography and review of literature, he didn't have either.  I had to argue with his committee head to get him to admit that maybe 
a THEOLOGY Thesis should at least meet the requirements for a decent high-school essay before they give someone a Master's Degree.  (And yes, they
did give that guy his Master's, and yes, the paper was still terrifyingly bad.)  Now, I know that many Theology programs have better standards, but 
so very many are built on the old premise of "nobody needs to be able to read to preach, they just need the call from g-d."  There is still a huge distrust 
of education in the Xtian community.     


I love this quote from the article: "What I seek is liberation from the very idea that any sacred text should be an authority for modem human existence."
Let's stop people from getting advanced degrees by studying their own fantasies! What do you guys think?

Mod edit: just because your link isn't clickable doesn't mean it's not a link.- rexbeccarox

[Godscreated]

Debunking Christianity by John W. Loftus.  Brilliant. 

{snip}        Sorry, I posted a link when I joined and later learned that I'm too much of a newbie!   
It's in his 2014 07 archives.
"im-calling-for-end-to-philosophy-of"

He's calling for Colleges and Universities to stop offering degrees in Philosophy of Religion, because in most cases, these courses turn into 
Xtian "Theology" . . . which is basically people writing papers and getting degrees for making up stories about what they think they know.
How can you study something that doesn't exist?

I remember working at a summer college program, and one of the Theology students was completing his Master's.  I was assigned to help with his thesis.
He came in with 5 pages about a transcendent prayer experience. It was 5 pages of absolutely hideously-written incomprehensible drivel.  When I 
asked for his bibliography and review of literature, he didn't have either.  I had to argue with his committee head to get him to admit that maybe 
a THEOLOGY Thesis should at least meet the requirements for a decent high-school essay before they give someone a Master's Degree.  (And yes, they
did give that guy his Master's, and yes, the paper was still terrifyingly bad.)  Now, I know that many Theology programs have better standards, but 
so very many are built on the old premise of "nobody needs to be able to read to preach, they just need the call from g-d."  There is still a huge distrust 
of education in the Xtian community.     


I love this quote from the article: "What I seek is liberation from the very idea that any sacred text should be an authority for modem human existence."
Let's stop people from getting advanced degrees by studying their own fantasies! What do you guys think?

I think, since you made the claim there is no God to prove that statement and no I do not need to prove God to you or anyone else, it's you who made the claim there was no God and it's your responsibility to back up your claim.
Also I know a pastor with a nuclear engineering degree. If you say that it's not a requirement to read to be a pastor then how could they possibly teach something they can't read.

GC

[drfuzzy]

Debunking Christianity by John W. Loftus.  Brilliant. 

{snip}       Sorry, I posted a link when I joined and later learned that I'm too much of a newbie!   
It's in his 2014 07 archives.
"im-calling-for-end-to-philosophy-of"

He's calling for Colleges and Universities to stop offering degrees in Philosophy of Religion, because in most cases, these courses turn into 
Xtian "Theology" . . . which is basically people writing papers and getting degrees for making up stories about what they think they know.
How can you study something that doesn't exist?

I remember working at a summer college program, and one of the Theology students was completing his Master's.  I was assigned to help with his thesis.
He came in with 5 pages about a transcendent prayer experience. It was 5 pages of absolutely hideously-written incomprehensible drivel.  When I 
asked for his bibliography and review of literature, he didn't have either.  I had to argue with his committee head to get him to admit that maybe 
a THEOLOGY Thesis should at least meet the requirements for a decent high-school essay before they give someone a Master's Degree.  (And yes, they
did give that guy his Master's, and yes, the paper was still terrifyingly bad.)  Now, I know that many Theology programs have better standards, but 
so very many are built on the old premise of "nobody needs to be able to read to preach, they just need the call from g-d."  There is still a huge distrust 
of education in the Xtian community.     


I love this quote from the article: "What I seek is liberation from the very idea that any sacred text should be an authority for modem human existence."
Let's stop people from getting advanced degrees by studying their own fantasies! What do you guys think?

I think, since you made the claim there is no God to prove that statement and no I do not need to prove God to you or anyone else, it's you who made the claim there was no God and it's your responsibility to back up your claim.
Also I know a pastor with a nuclear engineering degree. If you say that it's not a requirement to read to be a pastor then how could they possibly teach something they can't read.

GC

Wow, GC. Well, this IS an atheist forum.  Yes, I believe that there is no god, and therefore theology students are studying . . . nothing. That's my opinion.  And I did not say that all pastors are illiterate.  I said that we have a history of illiterate preachers that still has some effect in today's world.  And perhaps I should not have shared my story, because I really intended to share an article that is better thought-out and more erudite than my post.  I hope you enjoyed reading it.

[Minimalist]

G-C thinks his repeated failure to provide evidence FOR his delusions means that we have to provide evidence AGAINST them.  I would expect nothing more from an ignorant shit who worships fairy tales.

Nonetheless, having watched him and others fail repeatedly to provide evidence that his god or any god exists I have now reached the conclusion that god is a delusion of the weak-minded.  My offer remains outstanding though.  Produce some evidence for your horseshit and I will look it over.  Until then, god is dead.

[bennyboy]

I think, since you made the claim there is no God to prove that statement and no I do not need to prove God to you or anyone else, it's you who made the claim there was no God and it's your responsibility to back up your claim.
Also I know a pastor with a nuclear engineering degree. If you say that it's not a requirement to read to be a pastor then how could they possibly teach something they can't read.

GC

GC, if you don't want people to believe in God, then making them accept the BOP for you is a good way to do it. Because the attitude of almost everyone is going to be, "Meh. . . what's on TV?" You are the one with a vested interest in the existence of the almighty. You have to prove it-- the consequence being that more and more people will just get bored and walk away from a religion that takes much and offers little.

As for your super-genius, almost-for-sure-not-made-up pastor. . . great. Get him to join this site and explain to us how the God idea is consistent with any of the principles of science.

[Salacious B. Crumb]

I think, since you made the claim there is no God to prove that statement and no I do not need to prove God to you or anyone else, it's you who made the claim there was no God and it's your responsibility to back up your claim.

Classic. Prove there's no god. You're allowed to say that you know god is real over and over again, but don't care to prove it, but you demand someone else to prove that there is no god. Nice hypocrisy.

[Godscreated]

I think, since you made the claim there is no God to prove that statement and no I do not need to prove God to you or anyone else, it's you who made the claim there was no God and it's your responsibility to back up your claim.

Classic. Prove there's no god. You're allowed to say that you know god is real over and over again, but don't care to prove it, but you demand someone else to prove that there is no god. Nice hypocrisy.

When someone advocates that my beliefs should be erased from this earth, then yes one should have to prove I'm wrong not the other way around. It's atheist tactic to say Christians alone need to prove God, because you know you will fail at every turn trying to prove there's no God.

GC

[Godscreated]

I think, since you made the claim there is no God to prove that statement and no I do not need to prove God to you or anyone else, it's you who made the claim there was no God and it's your responsibility to back up your claim.
Also I know a pastor with a nuclear engineering degree. If you say that it's not a requirement to read to be a pastor then how could they possibly teach something they can't read.

GC

GC, if you don't want people to believe in God, then making them accept the BOP for you is a good way to do it.  Because the attitude of almost everyone is going to be, "Meh. . . what's on TV?"  You are the one with a vested interest in the existence of the almighty.  You have to prove it-- the consequence being that more and more people will just get bored and walk away from a religion that takes much and offers little.

As for your super-genius, almost-for-sure-not-made-up pastor. . . great.  Get him to join this site and explain to us how the God idea is consistent with any of the principles of science.

I've answered your first part in the above post. I nor the pastor care whether you believe he's a nuclear engineer. I think I can give you one of his answers, God created all things and is superior to any science we have. The fact that you do not believe in God doesn't change this one little bit.

GC

[Salacious B. Crumb]

When someone advocates that my beliefs should be erased from this earth, then yes one should have to prove I'm wrong not the other way around. It's atheist tactic to say Christians alone need to prove God, because you know you will fail at every turn trying to prove there's no God.

GC

I’m sure many people have given you reasons why your beliefs are detrimental to an advancing, civilized society, but we know you haven’t listened to them. It’s not an atheist tactic to get christians to prove there’s a god, it’s a logical request. If you claimed that you died and left your body, traveled somewhere on earth, where you watched an event happen that there would be no way of you knowing what was happening at that specific place and time, and you were able to recount those events, but gave some excuse why you couldn’t, you’d be deemed full of shit (excuse me…crap, I know how you like to focus on a word instead of an argument) You make the claim, you provide the proof. If I made a claim, that god showed me a massive natural disaster that was going to happen sometime between 2018-2022, I’d be asked to write it down specifically what/when/where. Is that not reasonable? Or is that an atheistic tactic? When it happened, I’d procure credibility, and be asked to repeat this multiple times. That would be trying to prove this ability that people claim to have, not hiding behind excuses, and making claims that can’t be disproven. Which brings me to your last sentence. Yeah, it’s impossible to prove something that is unfalsifiable. For now, I’ll stick to absence of evidence and evidence of absence, and listen and laugh at everyone’s contradicting claims of what a god says to them. You know, because your god seems to be quite inattentive to the arguments being made about him, you’d think he’d come clear up this little dilemma that we’re having on earth regarding what’s right and wrong, and what’s true and what’s false, before more people die in his name..but I guess that’s his will. Him, watching people kill is sort of his thing, I guess.